This website or its third-party tools use cookies which are necessary to its functioning and required to improve your experience. By clicking the consent button, you agree to allow the site to use, collect and/or store cookies.

omni resorts

Last night I presented on branding at Powered by Social Media event, hosted by Taylor Gaines and held at Prime and Provisions. The event was well attended and I met a lot of great people working on exciting projects. Below is a short recap on my presentation

I first want to thank Taylor for the opportunity to speak at her amazing event, Powered by Social Media that has been held throughout downtown Chicago this past year. There was an excellent turn out of people who were genuinely interested in the topic that I presented on.

The main topic for the event was on creating a branded world. That is, how do you develop more than a transaction-based business and turn it into a deeper connection and relationship with your ideal customers? The quote above from Omni Resorts intrigued me for many reasons.

Brand experiences deliver on your brand promise. They increase the perception of your brand. They evoke emotions. They can be designed to deliver consistent results repeatedly.

Brand experiences are one of the highest stages of intimacy a brand can have with their clients and customers. MBMLM describes this intimacy as fusing – or when a consumer and brand become inexorably linked and co-identified. The identities of the consumer and the brand begin to merge and become a form of mutual realization and expression. This leads to a greater propensity of consumers to pay more for a brand’s products.

But how do you do this? How can you any brand create experiences that fuse and form tight-knit relationships and command higher premium prices?

It starts with a set of core beliefs and values of the brand. The brand must have a clear set of core values that will guide the organization forward, no matter who is leading the company. In other words, whether the founder leaves the company, the foundational principles set will remain unchanged. They are the basis for all decisions a brand makes. The foundational principles are:

Vision

Mission

Brand Promise

Core Values

Guiding Principles

Forming these components and having the brand and organization adapt them into daily use is what I call setting the groundwork. Every decision, every action, product line, new service, new hire, operations, marketplace positioning, culture – all stem from these foundational principles.

Once these foundational elements are set, the physical and digital brand experiences that your audience interact with on a daily basis are the amplification and personification of your core values and beliefs. The designed experience is intended to bring out those values through strategic placement of elements, visuals, and using the other senses to immerse and captivate the customer.

Did you make it out to the event last night? Leave a comment below and let me know your favorite part! Connect with me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Half-Day & Full Day Brand Strategy Workshop Packages

We’ll work one-on-one in a private setting with you to develop the foundational elements of an unshakable brand: vision, mission, brand promise, core values, and guiding principles. At the end of the session, you’ll have a clear picture of what your brand’s foundation, what it stands for, and how to attract your ideal audience.